Wednesday, April 15, 2009

New York, We Thought We Knew You

So maybe the tough New Yorker image is all a sham.

Apparently, a NYU student is conducting a social experiment. She created a miniature “robot” and turned it loose in New York City, armed with nothing but a cardboard smile and a flag stating its intended destination and asking for help. Since it's only capable of constant forward movement, it must be assisted by strangers pointing it in the right direction to get to where it's going. One Gizmodo columnist expected the little guy to get “stabbed, stomped, mugged, or covered in graffiti;” but thus far, New Yorkers have assisted the tiny artificial pedestrian in reaching its destination in every venture, helping it get unstuck from curbs, out of potholes and away from traffic.

So are New Yorkers really a bunch of softies? I'll have to ask Gorgeous Wife the Bronxite what she thinks.

2 comments:

They let the robot loose in Manhattan...that's full of white people from upstate! If they want an accurate test site, let it loose in Brooklyn or the South Bronx. I can guarantee it would get beat up there!